Colleges & Universities

Best-selling author and APB speaker Wil Haygood’s biography of Sammy Davis, Jr. will be turned into a limited television series on Hulu. Eight episodes have been ordered by the network based on the book In Black and White: The Life of Sammy Davis, Jr. Elijah Kelley is set to play the lead role. Filmmaker Lee Daniels will write the series with frequent collaborator Thomas Westfall. Daniels and Haygood will produce. 

For Cleve Jones, author and longtime renowned LGBTQ activist, the first time he realized his life’s purpose was the day he saw Harvey Milk’s corpse lying on the floor of San Francisco’s City Hall. Milk, a gay rights pioneer and city supervisor, was shot and killed in the City by the Bay in 1978. Since then, Jones has given a voice to the voiceless, organized the struggling and disenfranchised and inspired activists through his amazing work. 

In considering a professional development program for this summer, several of our clients are prioritizing the topics of mental health and diversity, equity and inclusion. As you emerge from what was likely another challenging year for your campus, a professional development program will not only provide knowledge and tools needed to come back stronger and better equipped, but will also inspire, entertain and renew passion for teaching and learning. Consider one of these sought-after speakers for your event:

Study after study has shown that stress and burnout are at an all-time high and morale is hitting record lows as colleges and universities across the country continue to deal with the havoc the pandemic has wreaked. Nearly everyone’s physical and mental health is being affected. Feeling overwhelmed, stretched too thin and exhausted with a lack of motivation and engagement should not be part of a job description or college experience. The good news? We can help.

Dr. Michael J. Sorrell, APB speaker and President of Paul Quinn College in Dallas, was recently honored with the J. Erik Jonsson Award. The annual award is given to individuals who epitomize the spirit of moral leadership and public virtue by Southern Methodist University’s Cary M. Maguire Center for Ethics & Public Responsibility. 

Experts in their fields, these voices lead the charge in supporting environmental protection. 

APB is honored to exclusively represent Reverend William J. Barber II, president of Repairers of the Breach, co-chair of Poor People’s Campaign, and a New York Times bestselling author. “Barber is the closest person we have to Martin Luther King Jr. in our midst," said renowned public intellectual and author Dr. Cornel West.

One of the funniest and most highly regarded cartoonists in America, APB speaker Keith "Keef" Knight is the inspiration behind Hulu's hit streaming-series Woke, which he also co-created. For nearly three decades, this multi-award-winning artist has brought the funny back to the funny pages with a uniquely personal style that’s a cross between Calvin & Hobbes, MAD, and underground comix.

ICYMI, Julianne Malveaux and Martina Edwards recently talked to NASPA attendees about financial well-being, literacy and planning. Consider bringing one of them to your campus to enlighten students, faculty and staff alike. Learn more about each of these sought-after speakers below:

Russian journalist and APB exclusive speaker Dmitry Muratov has announced he will auction his Nobel Peace Prize Medal and donate the funds to help Ukrainian refugees. Muratov, editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta—an independent Russian newspaper known for its reporting on governmental corruption and human rights violations—won the prize last year, along with Filipino American journalist Maria Ressa. The pair were honored for their “efforts to safeguard freedom of expression.”